4/24/2014

The best part about business trips to our Mexico offices? Hanging out with my engineers at those offices.

The second best part? Tacos.

Whether it's grabbing a quick bite from the cart of a street vendor, gathering for a team lunch in a fancy restaurant, or sucking down beers at an impromptu BBQ after work, tacos are everywhere. Part national dish, part basic staple, tacos are taken very very seriously in Mexico. If a bowl of rice is the purest expression of Chinese cuisine, then a corn tortilla topped with something simple and amazingly delicious serves a similar role in Mexican culinary tradition.

(A Project Manager and Lead Developer grilling it up near our Sonora office.)

Once back in the States, I'm seized with depression. Even in Los Angeles, a city with a huge Latino population and famous for its Mexican fare, finding tacos as good as the ones in Mexico is akin to searching for the Holy Grail. Much as the Din Tai Fung in Arcadia is a pale imitation of its sisters in Taipei, the Al Pastor and Cabeza tacos I've sampled in my quest through LA have been shadows thrown into harsh relief my incandescent Mexican dining experiences. Like a hungry ghost, I'm cursed to wander the Southland, chasing an ever elusive dragon.

But, hope springs eternal in this tender young panda's heart. The LA Weekly's second annual Tacolandia promises over 40 top taco vendors curated by local food icon, Bill Esparza. Among this year's attendees are:

Started by Father Greg Boyle in 1988, Homeboy Industries was created to answer the need for employment opportunities among youth. Today, the nonprofit helps former gang members and the previously incarcerated redirect their lives and become contributing members of their families and community. Homeboy Industries is the largest gang intervention program in the nation and has become a model for other organizations and cities.

Don't miss out! Get your tickets before the rest of the taco-starved hoi polloi from TicketflyTODAY ONLY using special presale code CHUBBYPANDA. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting tomorrow, April 25th, 2014.

Tacolandia 2014 - Saturday, June 28 from 3 to 7 p.m. at El Pueblo de Los Angeles in DTLA.